Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-05
ELGA WHEELER WILCOX


No more unique, distinctive, and st the
same time popular character stands before
the people to-day than Ella Wheeler
Wilcox.
| Bora in Z Wisconsin village some thirty
odd years ago, when Wisconsin wss rot
much more than s frontier state, without
Influential friends or family, and without
money, she made for herself name il
literature which commanded attention
before she was eighteen years old. 10
one who knows it in detail her history
ysads like q fairy story. Reared On 3
western prairie, she is GE orn&maEt to
the most brilliant circles Of the metrop-
oli5.
SIZE Rad never seen an editor CT literary
pereon and knew nothing cf the methods
ct getting into prirt waen. CT fourteen,
she raad her first production 30 the pIees.
The New York Mercury published these
childish efforts which were written il
prose and under nom-dc-plumes.
Il declined the first poem che ever sent
for publication, and The editor ea,oagtic-
silly advised her TO "crusa 1t. ambitions
TO be 4 poes."
TIE W47@rly magazine has the honor
20 be the first 70 present the nsms Of Eli
Wheeler n the Y2uCIic,
Ftank Lcalia sent aer ;he fist cback
she ever received at seventeen years OF
age,
Fem that tine TO She present dag she
has never swerved nor fa!tared in the
steady, hard climb toward success.
She never sent q manuscrIp5 in her lie
for criticism and never asked f0T cid Or
influence in her literary ventures.
During the laet fifteen years Ellis
Wheeler has probably been the naost crit
icieed, nj used, praised, miscon6trued and
admired woman il the literary world.
without g particle OF eIort to create g
sensation, everything she has in thst
sime written has had the effect Of stirring
up criticism.
Her writings seem 50 &c possessed CT q
certain something conbugttole in their
composition, that Oh striking outer air
invariably rends it with more or Less OF
az explosion.
Her first published book was "Drops OF
Water" collection of juvenile temper
anco verses. Thesa were crude bat flied
with the dramatic enthusiSsm Wa;ch has SO
parmeated her later work, and provoked
praise aud censUre in proportionate guam
titles from tie conteH6ing forces on the
liquor question.
"Shells," g little volume now cut CT
print, comes next.
"Igurinre," By Jnsny considered Lex
finest work, and the famous Poems OF
Passion which set the literary world on
IRE, followed within three years CT each
other.
Columns q abuse and praise items rid
iculing and euloeiziDg the latter volume
filed an the papers in the country.
Some Of her friends urged her to sup
press the beck after its first appearance,
but strong in ,he courage Of her convic-
tons, she read the severe AID unjust re-
views through tears, not unmizeo with
smiles at sight Of the golden coins which
punotuated the comments Of the critics.
Many of these dollars were spent II
building home for aging parents, arc
nuch of the hzlo now surrounding thi:
remarkable woman's life is the reflection
Ct the generous deeds Of her early moniet
life.
Milwaukee people gave her "0enefF
in May,1SS3, when she wes made Ehe SUB
isct of q speech by United States Sena
tor snd was presented with china baske
containing $500 in gold.
Long before her happy marriage in May
1884. with the elegant and cultivated gen
tleman who brought her to the east, hel
name was 8 household word and she Wa
: welcome guest in the hest circles q tn:
great northeast.
To he rare genius were G5ded unusua
arscss CT person. Sa9 was briilisE'
and tact:vI fakeT, d good Dancer, and